Weekly Devotional - Pastor Aaron Green

“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?  How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger? How often are they like straw before the wind,  like chaff swept away by a gale? It is said, ‘God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.’ Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it! Let their own eyes see their destruction;  let them drink the cup of the wrath of the Almighty. For what do they care about the families they leave behind when their allotted months come to an end? -Job 21:17-21

This has been a confusing week. Granted, there is always evil around, but lately, the evil has been so loud... The questions inevitably ensue... why, God? How, God? what are you going to do about it?!? I don't believe God is offended by these questions, but I also don't believe He answers them right away. In gentleness and patience, like a good father, He allows us space to express our frustrations without an immediate smackdown to put us in our place (however, I do think that will come if the temper-tantrum lasts long enough, just ask Job ;-) Whenever I am asked about the evil God allows in the world, my first thought is to consider what all the evil in the world has in common. Let's consider this past week... What does a stabbing on a train, a school shooting, a public assassination in full view, and recalling the events of September 11, 2001 all have in common?.... People. People who have no proper understanding or fear of God. So, what is the solution? People who have a proper fear of the LORD, the beginning of wisdom. The world needs a savior, but the savior wants to include His creation in the redemption of the world. Let me be clear, we can do nothing good apart from the very one who provides breath in our lungs, but Jesus didn't snap His fingers and rid the world of all evil. He told His disciples to go and make disciples. He told them to comfort the brokenhearted, to defend the alien, orphan, and widow. He told us to provide hope for the hopeless, and He said that as broken and fallen humanity observed the people of God love one another the world would in fact change, evil would be pushed back, and death would be no more. At some point, God will 'snap His fingers and end it all', but He is giving us the opportunity to be a part of His Kingdom, and the redemption of the world, and this is also why we emphasize small groups amidst the chaos and destruction. The world needs to know God, desperately. It's our only hope, and He invites us to play a part in that.

How are you processing the events of the past few weeks? What do you feel is the solution? Does your solution involve making disciples?